DANNY MURPHY: Guardiola should ditch Jack Grealish against Liverpool
DANNY MURPHY: Pep Guardiola should ditch Jack Grealish against Liverpool and play Raheem Sterling to scare the defence… and Man City must be cautious without Ruben Dias at the back
- Pep Guardiola should replace Jack Grealish with Raheem Sterling on Sunday
- City host Liverpool at the Etihad in a huge match at the summit of the table
- Raheem Sterling could be the key to victory against Trent Alexander-Arnold
- City can’t be caught vulnerable with Ruben Dias still absent from the squad
The long and arduous battle for the Premier League title could take a step towards being settled by Sunday night – with Manchester City and Liverpool going head-to-head at the Etihad this weekend.
After Pep Guardiola’s recent declaration that he loves to overthink his tactics in big matches, one could be left wondering what set-up City will deploy when their rivals turn up to Manchester.
The Spaniard has some crucial decisions to make ahead of the match – including whether to start Jack Grealish or Raheem Sterling.
Jack Grealish should be dropped in place of Raheem Sterling (pictured) against Liverpool
I’d have to say yes. The scary thing is they can rotate their squad and still win nearly all their matches.
There are some really good sides across Europe — Bayern, PSG, Real Madrid — but you’d put your chips on City or Liverpool beating them over two legs. It’s not just the quality but the tempo they play at.
The competitive nature of the Premier League means they are incredibly intense and relentless in addition to their talent. That’s why they can compete on all fronts.
WOULD YOU DROP SALAH AFTER EIGHT GAMES WITH NO GOAL IN OPEN PLAY?
Liverpool can beat City without Mo Salah but I wouldn’t leave him out and I don’t think Jurgen Klopp will either. He’s earned the right to stay in the team for what he’s given over a number of years.
We had a similar situation at Liverpool with Michael Owen in 2002. He was the reigning European Player of the Year but started the season with one goal in nine games and everyone was questioning him ahead of a game at Man City.
Mo Salah could be dropped from Reds team after failing to score in his last eight games
Gerard Houllier kept him in, Michael scored a hat-trick past Peter Schmeichel and ended the season with 28 goals and getting to the World Cup quarter-finals.
Liverpool have an abundance of attacking talent in Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino, but the last player Joao Cancelo will want to see on the teamsheet is Salah. He still carries that fear factor. City’s defenders will be less confident bombing forward if they know Salah is there.
DO EITHER SIDE HAVE ANY WEAKNESSES?
It’s the manager’s job to find those weak spots even though they are hard to see in these two teams.
Liverpool can be vulnerable down the sides if Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are caught upfield on transition. Klopp may be more pragmatic than usual and ask at least one of them to stay back but that in turn weakens their attacking threat.
Losing Ruben Dias to injury is a blow to City. Aymeric Laporte and John Stones are both top defenders but neither has the pace of Dias. Klopp’s team selection will be fascinating, who does he use down the middle to try to take advantage of Dias’s absence?
Manchester City could capitalise on Liverpool’s full-backs pushing high up the pitch
WOULD CITY ALREADY BE CHAMPIONS IF THEY HAD A PROPER No 9?
Not necessarily. Logic suggests that if a 30-goal striker like Harry Kane or Robert Lewandowski were on the books, City would be stronger, but it doesn’t automatically mean the team would score 30 more goals.
Playing with a false nine such as Phil Foden, who drops deep and links play, helps City strangle games through possession. By dominating games, they may not score more but they may win as many matches.
I am sure Guardiola would like an orthodox striker to increase his options but even with an additional forward, I think the title race would still be close.
DOES GREALISH GET IN CITY’S STRONGEST XI?
Right now, no — and that’s despite being a huge Jack Grealish fan for how he can dribble past and beat defenders in the tightest of areas.
Competition for places at City is incredibly strong and what Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez have over Grealish is end product in terms of goals and assists.
Sometimes you need a wide player with speed who can get in behind the full back, and Sterling is better at that than Grealish. Sterling is quicker than Alexander-Arnold and it is an obvious tool for Guardiola.
Jack Grealish has been underwhelming since completing a £100m transfer in the summer
WHICH PLAYERS WILL GUARDIOLA AND KLOPP WORRY ABOUT?
I think they’ll be discussing patterns of play with their own team rather than individuals. If you aren’t already aware of the need to block the supply from Kevin De Bruyne or Alexander-Arnold, you wouldn’t be at this level.
The big fear is losing the ball in dangerous areas and being caught out on the counter. It means you can be the better team in general play and still lose.
WILL BOTH TEAMS STRUGGLE AFTER THEIR MANAGERS GO?
It won’t be easy because Guardiola and Klopp are geniuses and of course they will be missed. But I also get the feeling that the clubs will have learned from what happened to Manchester United and Arsenal after Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger left and there won’t be quite the same meltdown.
Both clubs have built a strong culture and philosophy over the last few years. It has come from the managers but they’ve had very strong structural support as well. The success of the signings over a long period shows astute recruitment as well as the coaching and communication skills of the managers.
They will try to identify successors who will want to play the same way and build on the legacy. You can’t replace like for like but by planning, you can make a better fist of it than we’ve seen at Old Trafford.
Both managers have been rumoured with a potential exit from the respective clubs
HOW MANY PLAYERS ON SHOW AT THE ETIHAD ARE WORLD CLASS?
Arguably a dozen, which is why the world will be watching and why it’s hard to predict what will happen, because it depends on which of the individuals shine on the day.
For me, world class means being able to perform at an elite level for a prolonged period of time. The goalkeepers Alisson and Ederson deserve to be in that category, defenders Cancelo, Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Dias too.
De Bruyne and Salah are definitely world class, and most teams would take Bernardo Silva and Sadio Mane. Foden is going to be, he just has to carry on for a bit longer. Where would you find better holding-midfield players than Fabinho or Rodri? They haven’t been at the level of Toni Kroos or Luka Modric for as long but right now, there is little difference in their capability.
Virgil van Dijk will be looking to command the Liverpool defence in their trip to the Etihad
WILL THE WINNERS OF THIS GAME END UP AS CHAMPIONS?
I’d say so. A City win would give them a four-point gap at the top and even if Guardiola’s team slip up in one of the seven games left, I can’t see them doing it twice. A Liverpool win would see them on top having been 14 points behind at one stage. The lead would be narrow but Liverpool’s priority is the Premier League and once ahead, they’ll do everything to stay there, even at the expense of the Champions League or FA Cup.
Whoever emerges as the champions will deserve it in a sporting context.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR BEST COMBINED XI?
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Dias, Van Dijk, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Fabinho, Bernardo; Salah, Mane, Foden.
That’s six Liverpool players, and five from City. Just shows how closely matched they are.
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